"Remember, you don't need to kill yourself just for a few gallons of water," Clara said, walking past him. They were still on the rooftops, watching the distant reservoir. She crossed her arms, staring at the critical aspect of life. "I've always tried to help as much as I can, Dante. This place once had some hope, but now it's just about surviving another day. We've had too many people try, and when they saw how hard it was, they gave up."

"And where did they go?"

Clara shrugged, letting out a small sigh.

"They'd rather live alone. Sharing food, medicine, or water with so many people was never really their intention."

"They just wanted a good life."

A faint noise caught their attention, and they turned. Marcus, the sharpshooter, approached. His carbine was cradled like a child, slung diagonally and held by its trigger guard. He had changed the hood he wore the day before. Dante thought it looked even worse now, giving the impression of a ghost. A dark green scarf draped over his face, falling to his shoulder. His outfit had also changed—a wide, heavy coat replaced the filthy clothes from before, making him seem bulkier.

And he was; Dante had felt his heavy steps the day before.

What stood out the most about Marcus was the device over his eyes. Though it wasn't night, the strange metallic apparatus covered what remained of his humanity. His eyes had been replaced by a single glass circle that extended and retracted periodically.

"Ready for the mission, ma'am," Marcus said, his voice low and mechanical. "Recon and Supply Missions must be completed before noon, as instructed. I don't want to be late."

"Great. Looks like you're all set," Clara said, glancing at Dante and extending her hand. "I'd prefer you wear something less noticeable here in Kappz."

She went to one of the cabinets stationed on the side and pulled out a red coat—large, with leather suspenders. Dante took it, and as it touched his chest, his white uniform seemed to absorb the garment, melding with it seamlessly.

Clara and Marcus both looked a little surprised. Even Dante was startled when the coat adjusted perfectly to his body, offering better mobility than before. He moved his arm back and forth, but everything fit symmetrically—even his pants adjusted to his size.

"I have no idea what you are," Marcus said, "but you keep surprising me. Let's go." He took a few steps toward the edge of the roof. "Ma'am, the others want a meeting. They're asking for your input on what to do about the medicine."

Clara looked exhausted just hearing about it.

"I'll see what I can do."

Marcus nodded and climbed up to the ledge. The metal mask over his eyes shifted forward, then back again. Dante followed, standing beside him. The city had been destined for destruction, but when the sunlight revealed nature flourishing, birds and squirrels darting between trees that had grown thirty or forty meters above the ground, it didn't seem so bad.

It was a place that didn't need anyone to sustain itself.

"Follow me," Marcus said.

He jumped down onto the terrace below. Dante leapt after him, landing in a roll before sprinting to catch up.

Marcus stopped at the massive reservoir wall. It was tall—at least two to three times the height of a house. Vegetation climbed the concrete like a natural carpet, creeping up and over the wall.

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They walked around until they reached a tarp covering some open crates. Empty water jugs were scattered everywhere. Dante picked one up from the ground, but Marcus raised a finger, signaling silence.

The wind was calmer there, thanks to the natural barrier provided by the buildings. However, it was much colder than it seemed. Looking at his hand, Dante noticed his skin starting to show faint white streaks.

"Be careful," Marcus said a few steps ahead. "We're in a nest."

"Nest?" Dante saw doors further inside—wide open, shattered, with glass scattered on the floor. The windows were smashed, too. There was also blood—a lot of it—along with lab coats strewn everywhere. "A Felroz nest?"

"And other things."

Marcus lowered his weapon and opened a second door to a more enclosed area. Carefully, they entered. The dried blood on the floor made Dante follow its trail with his eyes, leading to a hole the size of a doorway in the wall of the entry hall.

Nothing smelled good there—not even his own odor.

"Miss Clara asked me to bring you here just to fetch some water," Marcus said, kneeling near a small basin. He waited for Dante to do the same. "The reserve is further ahead, past the hall and the treatment area."

"Why does the water turn green here during the day?"

"No one knows for sure. Clara is almost certain there's some kind of material still functioning even without power. But why it happens at night, she has no idea."

Dante was certain it wasn't too complex a mystery to solve. On the walls, even in the darkness of the holes leading deeper inside, dozens of frayed wires dangled, brittle and exposed.

With no electricity, they didn't emit any sparks. The entire city went dark at night, yet the reservoir water still functioned?

"Have you heard of solar panels?"

Marcus shook his head silently.

"Where I come from, the High Command used sustainable energy. They had large panels with electrodes—a kind of circuit—that converted solar energy into electricity." Dante pointed to a wire extending upward, toward the highest part of the reservoir. "They never needed mills or anything because these panels made their work easier."

"And how does a panel like that work? Can we take one?"

"I don't know. I've never seen one up close." Dante smiled, thinking of Talia. "My sister used to say that if she became an engineer, she'd build one from scratch. She'd always show me her sketches. But if we're going to take one, we'll need a battery, too."

Marcus reached to his waist and pulled out a small sphere. He tossed it into the basin, which filled completely.

"Having power would help a lot," Marcus said, retrieving the sphere. "But we're just a guy with a gun and an old man with broken ribs. Let's grab the water and head back."

Dante nodded.

As they took their first step out of the area, Vick's voice sounded in his mind.

"Unsafe zone confirmed. Scaling up to re-map Kappz sectors. Adjusting coordinates."

"Wait."

Marcus stopped.

"What is it?"

"Just wait a second, please."

A number appeared in Dante's vision. Although he could see it loading, Marcus couldn't—otherwise, he would've mentioned it already. His father's AI didn't usually function beyond health-related issues. He'd never seen it respond to anything else.

The AI's voice spoke again:

"Reconstructing and scanning materials from Ciciliano and Capital, a database has been generated with nutrient levels required for food and medicine composition. Releasing restricted access for collection."

A yellow marker appeared in Dante's view. Just ahead, coming from broken crates with no visible protection. The shattered door was nearby, with a cold draft seeping from within.

Dante began walking toward it. Marcus followed silently, raising his carbine and pointing it at the door. He watched as Dante crouched before a crate, carefully opening it. When the yellow glow inside became visible, Marcus's mechanical eye extended and contracted rapidly.

"It smells strange…"

"It's called Pharmacum Pills," Dante explained, lifting a small wooden box. "It contains yellow powder inside. It's used for elixirs."

"Clara will know what to do with this. Hand it over."

Dante passed the box to him, and beneath it, amidst some papers, he spotted a sack of canned goods.

"Is this food?" Marcus's voice wavered slightly. "I haven't seen one of these in months. How did you find this so quickly?"

"I can smell things," Dante lied without hesitation, tying the sack to his suspenders. Marcus adjusted the fit for him. "My nose got used to the Capital's odors. The smell of medicine in the place I stayed was strong. This stuff is pretty common there."

Marcus let out a mocking laugh.

"Must be amazing to have everything and never lack anything."